HOUSTON, March 13 (Xinhua)-- U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 15.7 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending March 8, 390,000 b/d more than the previous week's average, according to the weekly report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

       Refineries operated at 86.8 percent of their operable capacity last week, said the Weekly Petroleum Data Report.

       During the period, gasoline and distillate fuel production went up, averaging 9.9 million b/d and 4.6 million b/d respectively.

       U.S. commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, dropped by 1.5 million barrels from the previous week to 447.0 million barrels, about 3.0 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

       Total motor gasoline inventories fell by 5.7 million barrels from the previous week and were some 3.0 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

       Both finished gasoline and blending components inventories decreased last week.

       Distillate fuel inventories surged by 0.9 million barrels last week, about 7.0 percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

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       Propane/propylene inventories went down by 0.7 million barrels last week, about 8.0 percent above the five-year average for this time of year.

       Total commercial petroleum inventories decreased by 4.7 million barrels last week.

       Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 19.9 million b/d, up by 1.0 percent from the same period last year.

       Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 8.7 million b/d, down by 1.3 percent from the same period last year.

       Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.7 million b/d over the past four weeks, up by 0.5 percent from the same period last year.

       Jet fuel product supplied was up 2.0 percent compared with the same four-week period last year.